A Village Tour in West Bengal, India
The daily mundane life tires my mind; seeking solace in a peaceful and refreshing environment. A place where I can unwind my soul and mingle with the freshness of nature. Freedom from the regular hustle and bustle of life; maybe for a few hours yet still was my desperate need. So out I went and ventured into the liveliness of nature. And do you want to know how? I ventured into a village tour, a 1-hour drive from my residence (I am a resident of the state of west bengal in the eastern part of India). I had a small advantage, one of my distant relatives owns a mangrove in the village. Hence accessing the adjacent areas was easy and convenient.
Journey Commences
We were recommended to start early; to feel the purity of the morning dew in the village. It was 5 AM when we woke up and were all set to commence our village tour by 6 AM. As we stepped out of our house, a feeling of excitement gripped me. It seemed the entire atmosphere was beckoning me to the heart of the village. The wheels of the car rolled on the roads; I started counting the minutes yearning to engulf into the tranquil breeze. It took around 55 minutes to reach the place. The moment our car advanced towards the side road to enter the village area, my heartbeat went fast. I opened the car windows to let the air pour in. Our energy doubled and tripled with pristine views. A small cottage had already been booked for us. We directly went towards the cottage and parked our car.
A Warm Greeting
We were welcomed graciously by the family and we could feel that they had a touch of royalty in their conversations and attitude. The fact that they heralded from an aristocratic family in the village, was evident from their gestures and behaviour. They were popularly known as Zamindars in the village or the landowners. Huge mangrove spread across massive acres of land belonged to them. It seemed every year they supply the mangoes to the whole-sellers and retailers. Besides they have provided employment to many farmers in the village; providing them food and education free. As we were entering the village, we had spotted some villagers and had enquired about the direction of the cottage and our relative's house. The villagers were much obliged to show us the way and with great respect, which proved that the family was held in high esteem by all.
Traversing across the Forest Trails
Just for my readers, our target was not the mangrove forest but a scenic village tour. We had heard there was a small forest, bubbling with exotic flora. After a cup of tea and some cookies offered by the family, we decided to start the village tour with the forest. Two of the family members escorted us. As we traversed through the forest trails, the cool sensation of the morning breeze and the freshness in the air welcomed and greeted us gracefully. The sparkling sun rays peeping within the branches and leaves of the huge forest trees created a spectacular aura around us. We felt rejuvenated and enthralled by nature's soothing beauty.
The mangrove plantations, stretches of banana trees, the ferns and vast lands adorned with wildflowers and trees were a pleasant sight to the eyes. The chirping sounds of the birds, the dragonflies flapping their wings, and the butterflies hopping along the brightly coloured flowers created a mesmerizing experience. I felt like dancing with the winds and playing with the flowers. Life seemed so magnificent and fascinating among the lush greenery prevailing around us.
The Yellow Mustard Fields
And then what I was waiting for, appeared in front of our eyes. The extensive land beaming with the bright yellow mustard plants. Many Bollywood (Indian Film industry) films had been shot on mustard fields, featuring some of my favourite actors and actresses. A candid pose at the fields is a must. And I did not want to be an exception. The eyes were extensively soothed by the radiant colours and picturesque beauty. Felt like spending a whole day amid the fields. Such was the glowing radiance of the yellowish tinge flowing along with the mustard fields. Our village tour was completely successful.
The Sumptuous Lunch
We had preferred to enjoy an open-air cooked lunch. Besides we wanted to sit outside and eat along with the members of the family we visited. Gladly they had accepted the proposal and arrangements were accordingly. We returned back to the cottage after the astonishing village tour. Lunch was being cooked and was about to complete. The aroma of the food increased our appetite and hunger. Local delicacies were our choice and I loved watching the arrangements. After a few refreshments, we sat down for lunch. All the dishes were delectable and mouth-watering. The taste was so delicious that we gulped more than we normally intake.
End of the Journey
Our plan was to start before the darkness settles in. The roads are not very lighted hence it would not be very safe for driving. Also, the villagers sleep quite early since the majority of their daily chores and activities commence in the early hours of the morning. We preferred not to disturb their daily schedule. As we started to pack for returning back, my mind felt a little lost. I guess I was sad about the fact that I have to again return back to the concrete walls of the city. But I must not deny, I was feeling much better with the purity in the air. Hope to come back again soon. We thanked the family for such a wonderful village tour and started our journey back home.
Author
Kuntala
A travel enthusiast craving to explore the exotic destinations in the world, deciphering the mysteries and the thrill concealed in them.
That area is really beautiful. I love the trees and the mustard fields.
This has me wanting to visit the Bengal area. The natural beauty is really amazing.
So much beauty here. This is definitely on my list of destinations I would love to travel to.
wow i love mustard fields.Such a beautiful place.Thanks for sharing.
What a lovely journey! I need to visit West Bengal. It looks so beautiful!
This sounds really lovely. I will have to put this on my travel wish list.
The plantation and mustard fields are so great for photos. I think it would be amazing to visit India.
That lunch and these yellow mustard fields sound so amazing! I would love to visit here sometime.
This place looks so amazing. Love all that greenery and landscape. India is just stunning.
Thank you so much
Beautiful journey and a lovely destination. The food platter made me feel hungry 😁
West Bengal looks and sounds like an amazing place to explore! I would love to take it all in in person one day.
What a great journey, I especially love that yellow field!! I could stay there for hours, it’s so pretty 😍
I like the picture of the mustard seeds, so pretty! It looks like a beautiful area to visit.
This is a really nice place to visit when traveling to India.
In my country Vietnam we have a similar nice place to West Bengal. Have you ever heard of Tien Giang, or Mekong Delta region in Vietnam? You should travel there once.
looks like you had a great fun, especially on that picture, super adorable! I loved your lunch too. The nature looks so special!
Some great content with lovely photos, Great post.
It’s absolutely beautiful. I appreciate being able to travel through your posts, since we haven’t been able to in over a year.
What a beautiful place! Getting up super early to explore a new place is always the best idea. No crowds. No cars. The yellow mustard fields look amazing. I’d love to see that one day.
Looks like a fabulous place to visit! I especiallly love the mustard fields, so bright and happy!
What a neat place to visit. Love the plants there! Sounds like there is plenty to do there.
That sounds like a wonderful place to visit someday and looks like you had a great time there.
I’ve never been to India before but that sounds like a great place to visit someday. The view there is looking beautiful as well.
Been to India once and I can’t wait to go back and explore its beauty! So many places to really see and I hope everything will be normal again so we can travel back again. I will take note of this place too! Hopefully, I can revisit soon!
Always good to learn trips and tourism are back one way or other. besides the location, the food look tempting there.
Oh goodness. The yellow mustard fields are fabulous. It must be such a delight to be in such a wonderful area.
Ya I was jubilant and excited walking along the fields
I haven’t been in West Bengal. I hope I can go there. Seems like a fun place to be at. Great photos too!
Thank you
Nice blog author. Thank you. Keep it up.
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